I’ve been reading Marcus Aurelius and he keeps returning to the theme that one must live “according to one’s nature” in order to live a good life. He really believes in nature. In fact, he reasons as follows: nature wouldn’t cause bad things to happen to the virtuous as well as the wicked, and we see that both the virtuous and the wicked often die young, so early death must not be a bad thing.
Apparently this focus on doing what is according to one’s nature is a standard feature of Stoic philosophy. It makes me think of this song, one of the few times the Beatles let Ringo sing. It’s not even a Beatles original; it’s a cover of a Buck Owens hit from a couple of years previously. Released as a B-side to “Yesterday” and then on the Help! LP.
Ringo has a different view on the virtues of acting according to one’s nature:
They’re gonna put me in the movies
They’re gonna make a big star out of me
We’ll make a film about a man that’s sad and lonely
And all I gotta do is act naturally
Well, I’ll bet you I’m a-gonna be a big star
Might win an Oscar you can’t never tell
The movie’s gonna make me a big star,
‘Cause I can play the part so well
Well, I hope you come and see me in the movie
Then I’ll know that you will plainly see
The biggest fool that’s ever hit the big time
And all I gotta do is act naturally
